Graduation Requirements

The following credits and subject areas of study shall be required by each candidate for graduation

Northshore students are encouraged to complete two dual credit courses in any of the above subject areas. Dual credit courses allow eligible high school students to earn both college and high school credit in a single course. These courses can be both academic and technical courses and include Advanced Placement, College in the High School, Pacific NW College Credit and/or Running Start.

These three non-credit bearing requirements must also be met to earn a diploma

1. Complete Washington State History (typically taken in middle school)
2. Complete the High School & Beyond Plan
3. Complete a Graduation Pathway (formerly SBAC assessment) aligned with the High School & Beyond Plan. Students must demonstrate readiness for a meaningful first step after high school by meeting one or a combination of the following pathways to show content mastery in both English Language Arts and Mathematics:

• State Assessment: Meet or exceed the graduation scores in the Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics.
• AP/IB/Cambridge: For both ELA and math, earn a 3 or higher on certain Advanced Placement (AP) exams or a 4 or higher on certain International Baccalaureate (IB) exams or an E on certain Cambridge International exams, or pass the course with at least a C+.
• Dual Credit: Earn at least one high school credit in ELA and at least one high school credit in math in dual credit courses (Running Start, College in the High School, and/or Career and Technical Education dual credit courses).
• Transition Courses: Pass a transition course in ELA and math (a Bridge to College course) which allows students to place directly into a credit-bearing college level course.
• SAT/ACT: Meet or exceed the graduation scores set by the State Board of Education in the math and ELA portions of the SAT or ACT.
• Combination: Meet any combination of at least one ELA and one math option for those options listed in 1-5.
• Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test: Meet standard on the ASVAB by scoring at least the minimum established by the military for eligibility to serve in a branch of the armed services. *
• Career and Technical Education (CTE) course sequence: Complete a 2-credit sequence of Career and Technical Education courses. *

*Note: students who pursue the ASVAB or CTE pathway do not need to meet English and math requirements separately. English and math content are embedded in both pathways – a student who meets either the ASVAB standard or the CTE pathway requirements has met the graduation pathway requirement.

Please visit the State Board of Education website for specific information: https://www.sbe.wa.gov/our-work/graduation-pathway-options

Career & Technical Education 2 Credit Course Sequence

A student may meet their graduation pathway option by completing a 2-credit sequence of CTE courses in the same area. This chart shows the five CTE areas and qualifying classes within that sequence. Credit amounts for each course can be found in the BHS Course Catalog.